International community seeing Ghana as ‘cocaine coast’ – NPP legal team member

Private legal practitioner and member of the NPP Legal Team, Enoch Anhwere Afoakwa, says Ghana’s growing association with cocaine trafficking is damaging the country’s international reputation.

His comments follow the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of suspected cocaine by French customs at the Port of Dunkirk on September 10. The consignment, concealed in a container carrying plastic waste that had departed from Ghana, was valued at about €225 million.

According to Mr Afoakwa, the increasing number of cocaine-related incidents and seizures is creating the perception that Ghana is becoming a major transit point for the illicit drug trade.

“The reputational damage that we are going through as a country, we were known as the Gold Coast. Now we have the Ghana Gold Board, a revenue one, of course, because it's helping to stabilise the cedi. But now the international community is seeing us as a cocaine coast,” he said on JoyNews Newsfile on Saturday.

Mr Afoakwa said the situation should be treated as a serious national security and reputational concern, arguing that Ghana’s image abroad could suffer if authorities fail to address weaknesses in the country’s anti-drug enforcement systems.

He questioned the effectiveness of measures at the country’s ports and other points of entry, particularly in light of recent cocaine seizures linked to Ghana.

He also raised concerns about the accountability of officials responsible for supervising port operations, arguing that investigations should go beyond the arrest of individuals directly linked to seized consignments.

Mr Afoakwa further criticised what he described as an approach focused on “low-hanging fruits”, suggesting that authorities must pursue those who facilitate or supervise the movement of illicit consignments.

He called for a broader examination of Ghana’s port security and drug-control systems to identify gaps that may be exploited by international trafficking networks.

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